SCC: Bill Auberlen 2005 preview

Bill Auberlen will continue to chase championships and records this year,
both on and off track. He will compete in three series -- the Rolex
Sports Car Series, Grand-Am Cup and American Le Mans Series -- and
is close to completing a unique custom...

Bill Auberlen will continue to chase championships and records this year,
both on and off track. He will compete in three series -- the Rolex
Sports Car Series, Grand-Am Cup and American Le Mans Series -- and
is close to completing a unique custom motorcycle. He is hoping to match
his record-setting 2004 season, when he won the Rolex Series GT driver
championship and the SCCA Speed World Challenge Touring Car Championship,

Rolex 24

Auberlen, of Redondo Beach, Calif., will start the season in two BMW M3s,
driving in the Feb. 5 and 6 Rolex 24 At Daytona, the first Rolex Series
race of the season, and in the Grand-Am Cup season opener on Feb. 4. Both
events will run on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway infield
road course in Daytona Beach, Fla.

"It's the same car in both series so it's really good, just slightly
different tuning versions of them," Auberlen noted. "This is my 10th year
with BMW, so I have a lot of experience in M3s to help get them on track,
full speed, straightaway."

Auberlen will share the No. 21 BMW Team PTG M3 in the Rolex 24 with Chris
Gleason of Johnstown, Pa., Joey Hand of Sacramento, Calif., and Ian James
of Kissimmee, Fla.

Challenge to Cup

Auberlen and Turner Motorsport won the Speed World Challenge touring car
championship in 2003 and 2004. They decided to try Grand-Am Cup endurance
racing this year, adding Justin Marks of San Francisco as Auberlen's
co-driver in the No. 96 BMW M3.

"Grand-Am Cup is an extension of what we did last year. We did World
Challenge Touring and we won the championship two years in a row, so we
decided to try something very different. We're still running a BMW, but
we're running a whole new series," Auberlen said. "We have a very strong
car, we have a great team and I'm hoping Justin and I can put our heads
down and win it this year."

Ironically, Auberlen and Marks are co-drivers in Grand-Am Cup,
competitors in the Rolex Series.

"We've been doing a lot of development in the last two months and it
shows great promise," Auberlen reported. "I can't wait until we debut
this car and the team; I can't wait to drive those first laps at Sebring
[International Raceway, in the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 19]. Sebring
is one of my favorite tracks in the world, and if this car runs as good
in the race as it's been in testing, we should have a great shot."

gearhead

Auberlen enjoys automotive development as much as racing. "I'm a total
gearhead," he acknowledged. "When I'm away from the race track, I'm
always developing something, whether it be my boat or my motorcycle. I'm
always doing exactly what we do at the race track with management systems
and computers. It's just an extension of what I love to do. When you can
make a difference, it's even more satisfying, when you can jump into the
computer and change the geometry on the suspension or change the setup,
and the car just keeps responding, going faster, faster, faster."

custom revs

Auberlen is building a custom motorcycle that already has the attention
of bike enthusiasts. It has major engine power, plus all the technology
of a finely tuned race car.

"I'm building a bike that's going to set the world on fire when it's
done," he vowed. "I got the biggest motor I could find, which was 145
cubic inches, just shy of three liters. I turbo-charged it and put a
MoTeC fuel-management system on it from my race car. I put a MoTeC dash
on it, I put traction-control on it, I put every single [racing] system
that I ever had. It should make 410 to 420 horsepower. We've been working
on it for six months, so I can't wait 'til it's done."